POTC: The Ring of Floyd
by EarthMonkeyX
Summary: When the Black Pearl finds a woman floating among the wreckage of a ship, they don't know what they are getting themselves into by taking her aboard. Not the greatest summary, but you'll like the story! JackOC
1. Chapter 1

The dark ship cut swiftly through the water, the salty ocean waves sending foamy sprays over the sparkling deck. Aboard the glimmering planks, the crew moved quickly; nimble, calloused fingers tied and retied ropes, hoisted sails, and occasionally stopped to wipe away some small drips of sweat. Over all, the atmosphere was a happy one. There was a slight hum of chatter through a cool Caribbean breeze, and the flash of smiles under the warming Caribbean sun. And at the helm, the ship's beloved captain surveyed it all, his mischievous eyes a-twinkle with an air of genuine happiness.

"Sail, HO!" A voice echoed from the sky. The captain's eyes shot first to the crow's nest where a small boy, no older than 14, sat looking intensely at the horizon.

"Aye, boy? Might you be able to tell us down here what kind of ship we're approaching?" The captain's voice boomed up to the lad.

"Yes, Captain! It looks like we be coming up against a French merchant ship! They'll always be looking mighty obvious in those God-awful ugly hats they be wearing!"

The captain smirked, his lip curling up as his eyes shone with as much excitement as Lee's, the boy stationed in the crow's nest.

"Men," he addressed his crew, "Make chase!"

The ship erupted in a burst of cheers. Men picked up their pace as they grabbed their cutlasses and pistols, grappling irons, and purses to be filled with the loot they hoped was aboard that unlucky French vessel. In mere minutes the glistening pirate ship overhauled what could only be described as a tiny boat, hanging low in the water with its new world cargo.

The captain jumped down from helm to briefly address his crew. With a grand flourish of his hands, he shouted all that need to be said.

"Take whatcha can!"

And in response came a resounding,

"GIVE NOTHIN' BACK!"

A flurry of shouts, clanging blades, and the occasional cannon boom erupted in the Caribbean air that had just been so peaceful. Grungy pirates with maniac grins confronted the shaking crew of the French Galleon _Le Grande Pomplemousse_. A brief skirmish ensued (it could hardly be called a battle), resulting in the less than honorable surrender of the French captain, Jean-Jacque de Mimsy Porpington. He was literally crawling on his hands and knees to the pirate captain, who was eyeing him with disbelief. Had captains no honor these days? _Well, no captain can be as honorable, or as utterly handsome as I am…_he grinned to himself, which Captain Porpington mistook as a malicious action. Screaming, he flung himself flat onto the deck at the pirate leader's feet and ground his mouth into the boot of this insane, brutal, lawless man that was plundering his ship. Blubbering, he looked up and smacked his hands together as a sign of prayer.

"Pleez, monsieur Pireet! We mean you no harm! I surrender mon sheep to you!"

"Sheep, you say? Well, I think I have a better proposal for you, my poor friend!" The pirate said, shaking his boot out of the Frenchman's desperate grasp. "Whatdya say if I tell you to keep your sheep? And I'll just be taking what's rightfully mine aboard this _ship_ of yours. No, livestock is not my cup of tea…. But treasure is certainly my bottle of rum!" He said this last part with a slight shake of his shoulders with his arms raised and a drunken swagger in his hips. Taking a wide step over Porpington, he took a few more great strides to the side of a short, round old man, who was overseeing the tying-up of the French crew.

"Gibbs, my old friend!" Joshamee Gibbs raised one eyebrow and stared at his captain, but the captain took no notice of this, and continued. "Our good pal over there has been so kind as to grant us full access to any and all of this lovely vessel's cargo. We wouldn't want to insult him by turning down such a grand offer, now would we?"

Gibbs's look of confusion quickly turned to one of sheer delight.

"Aye captain, that'd be mighty rude, even with us bein' pirates!" He turned to the rest of the crew who was ready to take further orders. Gibbs huffed in annoyance. "Well ye scabbardous dogs! I shouldn't hafta tell yeh at all! Get to plunderin!" The pirates scattered, moving down into the hull of the ship and returning to deck with loads of booty. Their eyes sparkled with greed and adrenaline. It took a good twenty minutes to unload the _Pomplemousse_ of its generous innards, and that was working quickly. Any other crew would have taken a good 40 minutes minimum.

"Captain! Yer' deadlights be staring out to nowhere. We got the booty, and the crew's ready to weigh anchor." Gibbs snapped his fingers in front of his captain's eyes. The captain jerked his head back, snapping out of the trance he was in.

"Ah, yes of course Gibbs! Was just thinking that it's hauls like these that make me glad that I went on the account (A/N: became a pirate)! No life is better than that of a buccaneer," he grabbed the end of a rope to swing back aboard his beloved pirate ship, but jumped first atop the railing of the _Pomplemousse_.

"Gentlemen!" he yelled, addressing the bound French crew. "You will always remember this as the day that your ship was plundered by the one and only Captain! Jack! Sparrow!" And with that, he swung across, only not as gracefully as he would have liked. With a strong shout of "GANGWAY," Captain Sparrow landed with a sound thump on his ass. He stood grumbling, eyeing his crew. "WELL! Weigh anchor! Smartly now, we don't have all day!"

So with a new load of commandeered goods, the legendary _Black Pearl_ continued along the sapphire waters of the Caribbean.

One week earlier….

Rena Floyd and her mother Ethel were in their cabin on the merchant vessel _Lifeblood. _They had been living in Nassau Port for about 3 years after saving up to move from England. Rena had been 19 then, and this year in celebration of her 22 birthday, her mother was treating her to a vacation in Port Royal. To the untrained eye, this may have seemed quite strange; why would a mother take her daughter to Port Royal, one of the most dangerous pirate capitals of the Caribbean, (A/N: this is historically correct. During the Golden Age of Piracy, Port Royal had been as much of a pirate haven as our beloved Tortuga) for her birthday? It was quite simple, really. One, Port Royal had considerably cleaned up its act during the past few years, and the threat was much lower. Second, Rena and her mother simply did not have enough of a fortune to go much farther. Moving to Nassau had taken nearly 10 years to save up for, and while the Floyds were most definitely not poor, they certainly were not rich. And third, Rena really just needed to get away. The citizens of Nassau had been less that friendly to the two strangers that had stumbled into their town after a long, storm ridden journey from England. Gossip begat gossip, and soon, if a person didn't know any better, one would assume that Rena Floyd and her mother had 5 eyes and a hidden third ear, and that they were actually witches on the run after they had cursed a lady-in-waiting for the king. Nassau Port was not very friendly in that sense. Yet Ethel had been adamant about not moving again; she said that Nassau was "haven enough for the two of us, and haven enough for whatever may come." Although this sounded suspicious, Rena could care less about questioning her mother. She was preoccupied over her hair, because she didn't want people to start spreading rumors about her having a wig. _I swear, even someone leaving their house is a topic for gossip here! Bloody fools, the lot of Nassau!_

Now, sitting on the less than comfy cabin bed, Rena thought about their upcoming arrival in Port Royal.

"Mother, what exactly will we be doing once we get to Port Royal?" She stood and nearly tripped as a small wave hit the side of the ship.

"I suppose we'll just relax and do a tad bit of shopping, what do you say to that?" Ethel remained at a small desk in the corner of the cabin, shuffling through some papers in a small satchel she had brought along.

"Aye, that sounds ace. I'll be happy to be able to walk about a town without a trail of whispers behind me. I think next time I'll be telling those wankers to clear off!"

"Hush hush, Rena! Don't be daft, the people are just feeling ya out. Give it time,"

"I've been giving it time, mum. Years!" Rena said with a huff. She moved back to the bed as another wave nearly toppled her. Ethel sighed and continued to flip through her stack of papers.

"Mum, what are you looking at?" Rena scooted closer to the edge of the bed to try and get a better look at the documents. In a flash, Ethel spun around and stuffed the papers back into her bag. Her eyes flashed briefly with what Rena thought was fear.

"MUM. What in the bloody hell was that!" Ethel refused to answer. With a burst of energy, Rena flung herself toward the satchel and grabbed the worn leather. Ethel screamed, grabbing for the bag, and tried to pry it out of Rena's fingers. They were pulling it back and forth, Rena pulling with all her might, and Ethel grasping to it with desperation. In another strong pull, the satchel flew out of Ethel's hands and was flung across the cabin.

Rena and Ethel lunged themselves toward the satchel.

"What are you trying to hide, mum!" Rena huffed as she scrambled to get the bag away from her mother.

"'Tis… nothing… of… your… CONCERN!" Ethel struggled mightily with her much younger and much stronger daughter. Obviously, it was a life or death matter for Ethel to get back the satchel.

Above deck, while the mother and daughter fought below, a crew member spotted something that no honest shipper wanted to see- a jolly roger flying high and bearing down on the _Lifeblood_.

"Blimey!" the crewmember cursed under his breath as he hurried to warn the captain. The captain also cursed under his breath.

"Crew! Prepare to cross blades, we've got pirates on our tail!"


	2. Chapter 2

Rena had the satchel away from her mother and was struggling to open the latch while fighting off Ethel when a loud boom erupted from above. Rena jumped and Ethel froze. They were both straining their ears to hear what was happening above, but all they got was a lot of inaudible shouting… that is, until one shout rang out loud and clear.

"_PIRATES!_"

"SHIT!" Rena gaped at her mother.

"MUM! Did you just CURSE?"

"Rena, this is not the time! Didn't you hear 'pirates'? I need that satchel back now!

They can't see what's inside!"

Rena stood defiantly.

"I will not until I know what you are hiding in here," It was Ethel's turn to gape. Her eyes pleaded with Rena's.

"NO. Mum, I want to know!"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I am your MOTHER. Now give me back my bag, NOW!" She slapped Rena hard across the face. It was the last straw for Rena. Normally she would have obeyed her mother, but the years of torment in Nassau from the other townspeople had made her grow tired of being pushed around.

"No," She stated calmly, rubbing her cheek.

Ethel was staring at her, shocked. "Rena. There _isn't enough time_ to tell you! Please, please give me back the bag…"

Rena shook her head. "Speak quickly then."

Ethel sat, defeated. They could both sense that the ship was not going to survive the pirate attack raging above.

"Your father," Ethel trembled violently, "he… ah… he had a bit of a secret." Rena was staring at her, willing her to continue. "Ah… when you were, I'd say about 4, he left. He didn't die like I told you." Ethel looked up, begging with her eyes to Rena. Rena continued to stand like a rock. With a sigh, Ethel continued. "He became a pirate… Mad John Rackham (A/N: there was a pirate with this surname, although I'm not sure if he was called John… I'm hoping not! Also, its pronounced Rack-em)… He sailed the seven seas, like any true sea dog, and every so often I'd get a letter from him. But when he left…" Ethel faltered a bit but regained herself, "I knew it was over. He left! He left, when he knew I didn't want him to. His true love became treasure and the sea. Yet I still loved him, even if it wasn't mutual any longer…"

A loud bang signaled that the door to the deck had been kicked open.

Ethel spoke up again, but this time there was a new sense of urgency in her voice. "Years later, he finally came back to me. I told him I wanted to come along, to be with him. He said no, it wouldn't be safe for you. So that's when I sent you to boarding school. And me and John, we sailed the seas as pirates… Mad John and Mad Ethel Rackham… you, you aren't a Floyd, not completely. You're a Rackham. Rena Lisa Rackham Floyd. Remember those initials, Rena! R-L-R-F. They're important, they've got a purpose! Before I returned to London after a few years of sailing, your father told me of a ring, a ring of unimaginable wealth. All I know is that he had found it once… and he hid it, because he was a smart man. He didn't need it… and it had some kind of power that scared him… I wanted it! Oh how I wanted to find this ring again! But John, no, he said no. He said it was safe hidden. We got home, and stayed together for a few more nights before you came home. And as soon as he left, I heard news a few days later of his death. Murdered by his own crew! They knew he had found the ring…we were in danger now, you and me! We hid in London as long as we could, but the crew was getting too close. I moved us right after I discovered a loose board in your father's old room. I found those papers," she pointed hurriedly to the bag, "underneath it. He mentioned the ring, and then I saw something about Port Royal. Please Rena… if I don't make it there, you have to find it! YOU HAVE TO FIND IT! It's all I would have to remember my John by…you have to complete the adventure that I never got to go on,"

The pirates had been bypassing the tiny cabin that Rena and Ethel were in, but Ethel's increasingly hysterical speech drew their attention. They were pounding on the door now, growling to be let in.

Rena's eyes grew in fear and confusion. _This is too much, too much! Me, a Rackham? No no no… it can't be right…_ Ethel shook her shoulders roughly to drew her back to the present.

"Rena," she whispered, strangely calm, "hide under the bed. I know I won't make it… I wasn't destined to find the ring."

"No, no mum! Hide with me!"

"Rena, I can't fit. Only one can fit." With surprising strength, Ethel shoved Rena under the bed with the satchel just as the door burst open.

"'Ello, whut 'ave we got here?" The pirate's eyes glinted maliciously.

"'Ey, Gorpy, Cap'n said take no prisoners!" A second pirate stood behind the one that had broken down the door.

"Aye, so he did." He unsheathed his cutlass. Rena slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, but the smack was equally loud.

"Now WHAT was that?" The pirate called Gorpy reached a grubby hand under the bed. Rena scooted away as quickly as she could until she was against the wall. Gorpy's hand retreated. "Musta been hearin' things," he mumbled.

"Come on now!" the second pirate roared. He grabbed Ethel and pulled her above deck, while Rena still cowered under the bed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Above deck, the pirates unceremoniously shot Ethel, allowing her body to slump over the rail and plunge into the depths of Davey Jones' Locker.

The pirates left as quickly as they had come, deciding to leave the _Lifeblood_ to drift. They didn't want to waste their already dwindling supply of powder. Rena stayed a good hour under the bed, sobbing silently as her eyes got puffy. After slowly crawling out from under the bed, she collapsed on top of it, emotionally exhausted. There she lay motionless for a good 24 hours, dreaming rarely through a fitful sleep.

The next evening Rena stirred. She sat slowly, her limbs stiff. Standing, Rena exited the cabin and wandered aimlessly around the ship, every so often making a gruesome discovery of a crewmember whose luck ran out. Entering the galley, Rena found a large stash of bread; the _Lifeblood_ had expected to sail for another fortnight before reaching Port Royal. She ate sparingly. _I'll die eventually, but there's no reason to speed up the inevitable._ When she was done, she had a look inside the satchel. Inside were various documents: a birth certificate verifying that Rena was indeed Rena Rackham, a note scribbled by her father with the words "RING in ROYAL" written on it, and something that confused Rena greatly. It was a faded piece of parchment with some kind of riddle poem written on it. Rena read it to herself.

_To find the highland_

_You have to captain at what's in a name_

_Start at the bucket and mop_

_And captain to the bottom_

_Be careful of Lone Ranger_

_Things aren't always as they seem_

_The highland is cursed_

_And those who find it_

_Had Bobby make sure_

_That their intentions are good_

_Or they'll never be jumping._

"What the HELL is this?" Rena screamed, scrunching her brow in thought. She pondered it for another hour before finally shuffling into bed and crying herself to sleep while thinking of her mother.

This was Rena's daily routine for the next 4 days. On the 5th day, Rena awoke to a sky of gray storm clouds and choppy water. By midday, Rena wished the water was still just choppy. Huge waves of black water were crashing against the side of the ship, tilting it at dangerous angles. Rena was hugging her knees tightly, huddling under her covers with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Outside, an ominously black wave gained height and momentum as it tumbled toward a ship that was at the mercy of the sea. It barreled down on the ship and with all its might, the wave crashed into the wood, splintering the planks like toothpicks. The one little passenger, hiding in her cabin, was tossed into the raging waters of the ocean.

All of a sudden Rena was swimming for her life. The _Lifeblood_ was destroyed, pieces of wreckage getting dangerously close to her in the churning water. A smaller wave flung Rena's soaked and shivering body into the air. She landed with a _thunk_ onto what was once a cabin door. The wind knocked out of her and she tried to breathe in again, sucking up a load of salt water as she did. Sputtering, Rena struggled to keep a hold on the door as waves battered her cold body. All of a sudden, Rena spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A large wave was carrying the ship's mizzenmast straight toward her. Knowing there was no escape, Rena braced herself as best she could.

The mizzenmast slammed down next to Rena, splitting the door in half and crashing down on the side of her ribs. She heard a sickening crack through the storm and could feel a piercing pain. Gasping for air, Rena tried to climb onto what was left of the door, finally doing so with much pain. She hadn't been paying much attention to the deadly debris around her, and so she was caught off guard when a heavy chunk of wood smacked her in the back of her head. After that, everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

I s'pose a disclaimer is needed about now, eh? Sooo, as much as I'd love for the oober great Jack Sparrow and POTC to be mine, it all belongs to a cartoon mouse.

Darn it! Anything not familiar, however, is MINE! You can't take that away from me, Disney! And thanks to my 2 lovely reviewers… you got me finally motivated enough to write another chappie… I was worried no one liked the story.

* * *

Captain Sparrow stood at the helm, thoroughly soaked to the bone. The previous night had brought on a storm of hellish proportions, and if he had not had a death grip on the wheel, Sparrow surely would have gone overboard. The storm had forgotten one thing, though… he's Captain Jack Sparrow! The greatest pirate to sail the Spanish Main, nay, the entire oceans! Pillager and plunderer, with the fastest ship in the Caribbean. He had stood strong against the battering waves, his knuckles white grabbing on to the helm. Now he called orders to his crew so that his beautiful ship could be repaired and return to sailing at one hundred percent.

"Gibbs!" Jack called to the grizzled old man standing at the prow of the ship.

"Aye Captain, what you be needin'? 'Tis bad luck, it bein' so calm after such a storm…" Gibbs looked warily out to the glassy waters.

"Gibbs, mate! Stop being such a mess deck lawyer on all accounts of superstition. The crew just battled out one of the strongest gales of the year! Now can ya go and grab your cap'n a clap o' thunder?" Jack swung up his hand in a mock gulp of alcohol.

"Aye cap'n…. but I'd still be on the watch for some ominous sign of certain death and destruction," Gibbs muttered on as he headed down towards the galley.

Not two seconds after Gibbs disappeared below deck, a shout rang out from Lee in the crow's nest.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" Free crewmembers rushed to the rails, urgently scanning the waters. Lee waved frantically over at the starboard side, and that's where they found her. A woman, in her early 20s they guessed, was floating on a miniscule piece of wreckage. The wake around her was littered with splintered planks and chests; clearly the ship she had been on did not survive last night's storm. The crew made haste, lowering a man down the side of the _Pearl_ until he could reach the woman. She was pulled up from the water and handed gently over the rails, where the crew laid her on the glistening deck.

The girl was by no means gorgeous but certainly a sight for sore eyes. Her brownish-red hair was plastered to creamy skin that had a tint of brown. She was wearing a battered gown that did not require a corset, and although her muscles were not washboards, she was certainly not out of shape. In fact, her slight stomach and rounded face certainly enhanced her features, especially in the eyes of some rather horny Caribbean pirates. The most noticeable thing, though, was the large half-foot gash in her side and the large cut going down the left side of her face, across her eye. It was a miracle to survive 5 minutes in a ferocious storm; she had somehow survived the entire night. They gave her room when Jack stepped forward to inspect the _Pearl's_ newest passenger.

"Not looking too good there, love," he commented to no one in particular. Looking up, Jack stared at his crew. "Well, we wouldn't want to be tripping over her would we? Someone take her to the sick bay," Jack turned comically on his heel and strode back to the helm.

The girl was still unconscious when Jack left the helm for a much needed break. Curiosity getting the better of him, he slunk into the sick bay to observe the mysterious woman. After staring at her for a few minutes, he hesitantly stuck out a finger. With the upmost and most deliberate slowness, his outstretched phalange moved closer and closer to her cheek. When his finger finally hit its target, and realizing that she was not going to magically wake up and bite him, Jack continued to prod her face like a little boy poking at a puffy corpse he might have found in a river. Only this girl had been found in the ocean, and she was most certainly not a corpse... yet.

Her breathing was shallow and strained for 2 more days after being pulled aboard. On the third day, Gibbs came rushing to the deck, his face red and beaded with sweat.

"CAP'N! The lass, she be waking!"

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so sorry this is so short! I had to get another chappie out though so you all know I'm still alive. Soon! The next chappie shall be posted much sooner and should be much longer.


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